Hunting Trip
by Arikae
Summary: Ed and Sam go on a hunting trip that goes terribly wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hope you all like this story. Again, parts are kind of far fetched. This story would probably take place in season one, some time after episode three. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Flashpoint characters.**

**Warnings: Un-betaed.**

Sam Braddock was enjoying his shower after a hard day's work. It was a long day with two hot calls. One involved a woman attempting to commit suicide and dragging her daughter along with her. Her ex-husband had left her and her daughter for another woman and she couldn't handle it. Jules took point on this call and Sam watched her in admiration as she connected and talked the woman down from her perch on the edge of the roof of her apartment building.

The second was another attempt at committing suicide, but this was a kid, about 14 years old, who failed to get the marks he needed to be valedictorian. He was only half a percent off and wasn't brave enough to go home and tell his mother that he had disappointed her. The kid's father was at the scene, crying and telling him to put the gun down, that he didn't care if he was the stupidest kid in the world, he would always love him. This one was a little closer to Sam's heart. He knew all about disappointed and controlling parents. Sam still couldn't believe that he had taken over the negotiation without even thinking. It was instinctive. "You know, I have a father that made all my decisions for me. He chose all my classes in high school, told me who I could be friends with, signed me up for extracurricular activities," Sam shook his head, "It didn't matter what I liked or what I didn't like, because what he did for me was for my own good." Sam shrugged, "Well that's what he kept telling me." Sam took a step forward, noticing that the boy's finger on the trigger was relaxing, "But do you want to know something?"

"What?"

"All those subjects he chose for me, all those activities he signed me up for, none of it is what got me here today and yes, I disappointed him by choosing to be a police officer instead of staying in the army, but I don't care. I'm happy here. I like who and where I am and in the end, that's what's important. I love my parents and I always will, but I learned a long time ago, that no matter what my parents did for me, in the end, it's my own choices that defines me. Just like it's your choice, right now, if you want to pull that trigger, or not, but I can tell you that if you pull that trigger…that's gonna be the worst disappointment of all. You're a smart kid, Andrew, look at your dad and tell me that you don't know that what you're doing is breaking his heart." By now Sam was right in front of him, he gently put a hand on the gun and pushed it down, taking it from the boy and hugging him, his own eyes wet. Sam handed the sobbing boy over to his father then turned away from the team to gather himself together before turning back to them. Sam never liked talking about his family life, but he's already learned that personal experience is an asset in this job. He looked over at his Boss who gave him his nod of approval.

Sam got changed into his casual clothes. It was a good day for Team One. No fatalities and now it's the long weekend. Sam packed his bag and swung it over his shoulder. He had plans this weekend. "Hey, Sam! Good job, today." Jules walked into the men's locker room.

Sam grinned, "You too," then looked at her suspiciously, "You didn't call out before coming in. You trying catch of glimpse of something?"

Jules smacked him, "EW! Anyway, you did well for your first negotiation. Not sure I would've dared to take over the Boss's job like that, but it all worked out."

Sam laughed, "Yeah, well, I was kinda drawn to the kid. So what's your plan for the weekend?"

"Family gathering at my parents'." Jules answered, "How about you?"

Sam mimicked shooting a rifle, "Hunting season."

Jules eyes narrowed, "Hunting what?"

Sam grinned at her, making her smile. She hasn't seen Sam this excited, "Black bear!"

Jules face immediately turned sad, "Really? But they're so cute."

Sam raised his eyebrows at her, "Cute? I'm not talking about Care Bears." Ed walked into the locker room then, "Ed! Jules think black bears are cute."

Ed looked at them, pausing what he was doing, "Right, they're claws and teeth are real cute." Ed said sarcastically as he shook his head. "You should come with us and we'll see how cute you think they are when it growls in your face."

Jules was a little surprised at that, "You're going hunting with Sam?"

Ed nodded, and then looked at Sam, "Didn't you tell her?"

Sam shook his head, "Never got to it, she was too focused on the cute and cuddly bears."

Spike, Wordy and Lou joined them at that point, "This is the men's locker room, no talking about cute and cuddly things, unless you're Wordy." Spike joked, earning a smack over the head from Wordy, "What? You have three girls! Anyway, what I really want to know is why I wasn't invited?"

"Because you don't shut up." Ed answered bluntly making everyone laugh.

"Why are you taking Sam?"

Everyone looked at Sam. Sam looked at each of them confused and feeling a little awkward, "What? Shouldn't you being asking Ed that?" They all turned to Ed.

Ed shrugged, "He's the rookie, think of it as a 'welcome to the team' hunting trip."

"I never got one of those." Spike complained, then looked at Lou, who shook his head. "Neither did Lou."

"That is because you _don't shut up_." Ed emphasised the last three words, "And Lou, well, Lou's just too nice, why do you think I always put him on less lethal?" The team laughed at the Lou's and Spike's expense.

Greg walked in, ready to leave for the week. "What's going on? You guys don't want to get out of here." They started filing out, joking and laughing. "Where are you guys headed tomorrow?" Greg asked Ed as they walked out of the building.

"You know."

Greg laughed, "Yeah, I know. I just want to make sure in case you two don't turn up on Tuesday."

"Come on, you're talking about two ex-soldiers, one of them an ex-Special Forces. You think we can't handle a couple of grizzlies?"

Greg nodded, "Okay, okay. Have fun!" He waved as he got into his car.

Sam had come into work with Ed, knowing he would be heading home with him today so they could get an early start tomorrow. He'd already had his gear in Ed's truck. They got into the truck and Ed drove off, sticking his hand out of the window to wave to the others as they left.

* * *

"So where are we going?" Sam followed Ed as they hiked through the woods with their heavy back packs. They had decided that this was going to be two days of full on camping. No technology, no food, no bottled water and no light. They had their phones on them, in case of emergency, but they weren't to turn it on until it came to that point. Sam loved camping. He loved the open, fresh air and the feeling of getting back to nature. They were going to live off the land, just like the natives had done before the British settlers.

"It's a place my dad always took me when I was a kid. Not many people know about it, that's why I like it. A lot of hunting areas get crowded during hunting season, but not this place. Here, it's just us against the wild." Ed huffed as he navigated his way through the trees.

"I like the sound of that." Sam smiled wistfully, he wished he had a place like this with his father, but Ed's dad and his father were two very different people. Sam didn't need to meet Ed's dad to know that.

They've been hiking for three hours now and it felt as if they had completely left any sign of civilisation behind them. "Another hour and we should come to clearing. We'll set up camp there and then we can go get ourselves some lunch."

"Sounds like a perfect plan to me." Sam took out his water can and took a swig from it. They had filled it at a small stream before they started the hike.

They continued their hike in silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence; both men weren't exactly talkative guys. They just enjoyed the peace of nature. It's not very often they got to spend a couple of days without the sound of traffic or chatter or television and radio. This is exactly what Sam considered a weekend trip.

Ed reached the clearing and dropped his back pack. "Here it is!" He turned to Sam, "What do you think?"

Sam looked around, nodding his approval, "This is nice. Perfect place to set up camp."

"Great! Let's set up so we can head out to start hunting!" Sam laughed, he'd never seen Ed so animated.

"Alright, let's do it!" Sam pulled out his camping gear. They each brought their own tent, already deciding early on that it would be too weird to sleep in the same tent. Both men were very practical, so their tents were small and simple. It took them 15 minutes to set that up. Ed pulled out his rifle and loaded it. Sam did the same. They also armed themselves with a bow and arrows for the smaller animals they would come across. They looked at each other like two teenagers ready for spring break. "Bet you I get the first game."

"Oh…you're on." Ed took the bet and headed out. Despite feeling the urge to run, he knew he needed to be quiet.

Much to Sam dismay, Ed got the first kill. It was only a hare, but it was their lunch and Sam would be tasked with skinning and cooking it, seeing as he lost the bet. "That rabbit practically walked into your arrow." Sam complained.

"Whatever makes you feel better, Sam. You're still cooking." Ed laughed as he proceeded with bleeding and dressing the hare. He wrapped it in a cheese cloth then tied it around his waist so that they could continue. "Let's head back. You can cook it and then we'll head back out again for some real game." Sam grinned, he was loving this trip more and more.

Sam expertly skinned the hare and prepared it for cooking. Ed had started the fire and Sam cleaned a stick before skewering the meat and placing it over the fire. Ed nodded at the meat cooking. "You've done that a lot."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, the General made me skin all our kills when I was younger. Thought it'll make me more of a man." Ed frowned at the bitterness in Sam's voice.

"How old were you?"

"The first time, I was seven." Sam remembered how scared he was when his father handed him the knife and told him to cut into it. His hands shook and he cried, but the General didn't care, he just watched until Sam did it. "He didn't help, he just watched."

Ed couldn't believe that General Braddock could be so cruel to a seven year boy. "I'm amazed you're not scarred for life."

Sam chuckled, "One of my friend's dad taught me the proper way of doing it when I was about nine. My father was on tour, so my mum let me stay at a friend's house. It was the best hunting trip I've ever had. He taught me more about hunting in that one trip, than my father ever did. Ever since then, every time my father went away, I would head on over there and we'll go hunting. I felt so free."

Ed nodded, glad that Sam had one man in his life that he could look up to. "He obviously did a good job teaching you."

Sam looked at Ed and smiled, "How about you?"

"Me? I was thirteen when my mum finally let me go and even then my dad had to convince her to let me go with him." Sam laughed at the thought of Ed's dad trying to explain why thirteen would be a good age to go hunting. He could understand. Sam's mum never wanted him to go hunting, especially not at the age of seven, but she never did have a say in his life. "We started out with the basics, how to sent up a tent, how to find water, how to clean and cook the animal. It was a while before he let me hold a rifle and then another month before I could shoot it. He thinks my mum was being over-protective, but he had no idea how frustrating it was for me to be out there but not be able to do anything for months." Sam grinned as he cut a bit off meat off to check if it was done. He envied Ed's relationship with his dad, but Sam couldn't complain. He was brought up pretty well-off. Sam threw a piece of meat at Ed, who caught it and threw it in his mouth without missing a beat.

Ed nodded, approvingly, "Not bad, Braddock. Maybe you should cook for the rest of the trip."

"Ha!" Sam laughed, "You manage to shoot every animal and I'll cook them all!"

Ed grinned at him smugly, "You better watch out, I might take you up on that offer."

"I'll like to see you try." Sam countered. This was a great start to the weekend, but he didn't know how quickly that was going to change for them. "Let's eat up and get back out there. I'm itching for some more." Ed smiled at Sam's enthusiasm. He was glad he decided to ask Sam to come along. They had gotten off on the wrong foot and this was helping them get to know each other and get back on the right track.

Sam and Ed were back on the trail, treading lightly so as to not make a sound. Just five minutes ago, Sam spotted the deer through the trees and gestured for Ed to stop and look. Now, they were both approaching the animal from different sides, trying to find the best shot without spooking the animal. Sam found a spot that gave him a clear shot of beautiful animal. He looked around to see where Ed was, and ensuring that Ed knew he was going to take the shot. Ed nodded. Sam lifted the rifle, but just as Sam was about to pull the trigger the doe moved a forward. Sam sighed, but the shot wasn't lost yet. He just needed to take a step to his right. Sam wasn't prepared for the snap he heard, just a millisecond before pain seared up his right leg causing his shot to go wide, scaring off the doe. "AHHH…" Sam dropped his rifle and fell to the ground on his back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Hope you all like this story. Again, parts are kind of far fetched. This story would probably take place in season one, some time after episode three. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Flashpoint characters.**

**Warnings: Un-betaed.**

Ed was concentrating on the doe when the shot rang and the doe ran off. His head swung around when Sam's scream pierced the air. He turned in time to see Sam fall to the ground. "Sam!" He ran over and dropped to Sam's side, whose eyes were shut tight. "Sam, what's wrong?" Ed looked down at Sam's right leg and found the problem. His eyes widened at the contraption around Sam's right ankle. "What the hell?" Bear traps were illegal in this area, but this one looked old, as if it had been forgotten and left to rust.

"Get it off me." Sam forced out through his clenched teeth, the pain was excruciating. "Ed…"

"Okay, okay…" Ed put a hand on Sam's chest. "Just hold on…I need to take a look at it. For now, you need to take deep breaths." Sam opened his eyes and looked at his team leader. Ed's expression was filled with concern, but his eyes were confident and reassuring. Sam gave a tight nod and concentrated on his breathing. He took one breath, held it and then let it go. Ed watched proudly as Sam pulled himself together despite the agony he was going through. He made sure Sam's breathing was controlled before he moved to his leg.

Ed pushed away the leaves, careful not to bump Sam's leg. When the trap was reveal, Ed's jaw tightened in anger. Whoever left this trap made sure that any animal or in this case, human, would be debilitated by the pain and damage that it wouldn't move. The teeth were sharp, almost like a blade. It may have been out here for a while, but it still did maximum damage. Sam's lucky that he was wearing boots, but because the teeth were so sharp, it didn't provide the protection it should've. Ed knew how to release the trap but it was going to be painful for Sam. Ed returned to Sam. He had his eyes closed, still concentrating on his breathing. Ed could see the perspiration beading on Sam's forehead, proof of the effort Sam was putting in to keep himself calm and contained. "Sam?" Sam opened his eyes. Ed gave him a reassuring smile. "You're doing good." Ed took out his phone and turned it on.

"Can you get it off?" Sam asked, his voice weak.

Ed looked at his phone, no reception. He didn't show his frustration, not wanting Sam to read into it as something else. Ed nodded, "Yeah, I can, but I have to move your leg and it's going to hurt."

"Already hurts." Sam groaned.

"Okay," Ed put his hand back on Sam's chest, "You just keep breathing and let me do the work." Sam nodded and closed his eyes. Ed looked around and found a stick 1.5cm thick and 10cm long. He brushed it off as much as he could and tapped Sam's face. "Hey, Sam." Sam opened his eyes again, Ed showed him the stick. "I need you to bite this." Sam frowned at the stick, but just took it and placed it between his teeth. "Okay." Ed moved to his legs again. Sam realised what the stick was for as soon as Ed moved his leg. Sam shut his eyes tight and bit into the stick. He tried not the make a sound, knowing how hard this would be for Ed already.

Ed felt Sam stiffen as soon as he touched his leg. He hated causing so much pain, but it couldn't be helped and he couldn't start first aid until he got Sam's leg out. Ed blocked out any sound Sam was making and put his full concentration on the trap. He put a hand under Sam's leg and the other one on his shin, above where the trap had sunk its teeth into Sam. As gently as he could, Ed bent Sam's knee until the trap as flat as he could get it. It wasn't as flat as he needed it as Sam's position wouldn't allow any more movement. Ed looked over at Sam, his face screwed up in pain. _Damn it, Sam. Why don't you just pass out?_ Ed thought. The next part would be the worse. He needed to push down on the levers. It would was going to hurt, but there was no point delaying it. Ed slid his boot under one side of the trap to make up for it not being flat and put his hands on each lever. Ed looked over at Sam. "Ready, Sam." He watched as Sam took a moment to prepare himself, then when he got the nod, Ed took a deep breath and pushed down on the levers with all his strength. Sam screamed through the stick in his mouth as the teeth of the trap were pulled from his leg. He wanted to grab onto something but there was nothing to focus the pain on. Finally, he felt his vision darken and he knew he was losing consciousness. Sam welcomed it.

Ed watched as Sam struggled to control the pain. There was nothing he could do but watch. Both his hands were on the lever, stopping it from clanging back into place. All Ed could do was wait until Sam had no strength left to struggle or he passed out. He was glad that it was the latter. Finally, Sam's body went slack. Ed needed to get Sam's foot out of the trap without letting go of the levers. He manoeuvred himself so that he could use his left knee to replace his left hand. He knew if Sam was conscious, his movements would've sent him back into oblivion. Finally, he was able to kneel on the lever. As quickly as possible, Ed lift Sam's leg until it was free of the trap. He released the trap and let it clang back shut. Picking it up, he threw it to the side. Finally, Ed could concentrate on Sam. He lowered Sam's leg to the ground, giving him a quick glance to see if he was waking up. He was still completely out. Ed undid the lace on Sam's boot and as gently as he could, he pulled Sam's boot off. Sam's socks were already soaked in his blood. Ed removed those as well to reveal the ugly wound the trap had cause. Ed looked around and grabbed his backpack, taking out his canteen; Ed poured the water onto the wound to wash away the blood. He was surprised when he heard a groan coming from his friend.

Sam opened his eyes. He frowned when all he saw were trees. Sam lifted his head and saw Ed with his leg on his lap. It was the sight of his leg that told him what had happened. He groaned and dropped his head back to the ground as the pain made itself know. "Sam?" Sam closed his eyes. He knew Ed was worried and needed him to say something to let him know that he was okay, but he was too exhausted.

Ed sighed, he couldn't put Sam's leg down right now, but he wanted to check on Sam. "Sam, I'm going to dress your wound and then I'll give you some water." Ed didn't wait for a reply, he rummage through his bag and got out the first aid kit. There was antiseptic in there. Ed let out a heavy breath. It just meant more pain for Sam. "Sam, I'm going to pour some antiseptic on your leg." Sam lifted his head at that. "I'm sorry, Sam."

Sam didn't like the guilty look on Ed's face. This wasn't his fault. He looked around and found the stick he had been using before. Placing it in his mouth, Sam nodded for Ed to do it, then dropped his head back again.

Ed smiled, "That's our boy." He said softly to himself before pouring the antiseptic onto the ugly holes. It took all of Ed's strength to keep Sam from pulling his leg away from him. Ed waited until the fight finally left Sam before he could continue. He didn't look at Sam, he couldn't. Ed just grabbed the bandage and wrapped it around Sam's ankle, efficiently covering the wound. Finally, he did all he could for Sam's leg. He lowered it to the ground and moved back to his head. "How's it going?"

Sam took the stick from his mouth, "My leg hurts." A short chuckle burst out of Ed's mouth, making Sam smile. "Water." He asked.

Ed nodded, "Of course." He got Sam's canteen out and gently lifted Sam's head, giving Sam a couple of mouthfuls before lowering him back down. Ed took a drink himself before recapping the canteen. He looked up. The sun was starting to go down. "We need to head back to camp."

Sam nodded, he didn't like the sound of walking but he knew they couldn't stay here. "I'm going to put your boot back on. It'll help support your ankle. I'm pretty sure there may be a bone fracture." Again, Sam just nodded. "Okay." Ed picked up Sam's boot, and loosened the laces to accommodate the bandage. Gently, he slipped it on Sam's foot. Sam clenched his jaw at the pain, trying his hardest not to cry out.

"Ed?" Sam called softly, relieve Ed finally got his boot on.

"Yeah, buddy?" Ed asked, tying the laces.

"This wasn't part of the plan, was it?" Ed paused and looked at Sam stunned, then saw that Sam had a grin on his face and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, it was Sam. I invited you out here and led you into the trap, so that I could carry your ass back to camp." Ed lowered Sam's leg, then proceeded to help Sam up. "Come on." Sam grimaced as Ed sat him up. "Get your left leg under you." Ed instructed as he pulled Sam's arm over his shoulder, "On three, ready?" Ed watched as Sam moved his left leg and got ready to push off the ground.

"Ready." Sam was out of breath.

Ed worried at how much effort that took. "Okay, one…two…three!" Sam pushed off the same time Ed lifted him off the ground and in one smooth move, Sam was on his feet, albeit, a little unsteady. "Okay." Ed waited for Sam to get his breath back, "I'm going to need you to stay here until I get out stuff." Ed moved Sam a little and leaned him against a tree. "You good?" Sam just closed his eyes and nodded. His leg felt like it was on fire. Ed waited a minute to make sure Sam was stable before grabbing their gear. He regretted bringing the bow and arrows along. "I'm gonna have to leave these here until we can come back for them." Ed spoke out loud, even though he was sure Sam wasn't listening. He worked quickly, hiding the bows and Sam's rifle behind some bushes, making sure the rifle wasn't loaded. He also put everything into the one pack and hid the other one in the bushes as well. Now, that he had a much lighter load, he could get Sam back to camp and hopefully find a way to contact the police. He swung the pack over his shoulder and took a good look at Sam. Sam was standing there with sweat running down his face and neck, he was pale and looking very weak and exhausted. Ed knew he needed to get Sam help soon, but it was getting dark and he had no way of calling for help. He took out his canteen and walked back over to his friend. "Sam?"

Sam turned his head and looked at his team leader through tired eyes, "Yeah, Ed."

"Have a drink and then we'll head back." Sam nodded and took a couple of sips before pulling his head away.

"No more, feeling sick." Sam groaned. The pain and the shock of what was happening were wreaking havoc on Sam's system.

"Okay, Sam." Ed put the canteen away and pulled Sam's arm over his shoulder. "Let's get you back."

Sam looked down at his feet, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. He could feel the pulses near his ankle pounding away, the sweat running down his back, blood rushing to his ears, his breathing seemed to echo, everything he couldn't usually hear or feel was compounding his senses all at once which seemed to just increase the pain in his leg. "We're almost there, Sam." He heard Ed say, but he didn't acknowledge him. It took all of his concentration just to walk

It was a long walk back even though Ed knew they were only half an hour from their camp site. Ed was trying to take as much of Sam's weight as he could and he knew Sam was trying his hardest to take his own weight. It worried him that Sam wasn't responding to him, but he couldn't expect much seeing as Sam was still conscious and walking. Ed was exhausted himself, but he knew it was nothing compared to what Sam was going through. He was starting to kick himself for not bringing along a satellite phone. Greg would've let him take one from the SRU. He checked his phone again, hoping that he could at least get one bar, but there was no such luck. It was a massive relief when their campsite came into view. Ed smiled, "We're there, Sam. Just a little way more." Again, Sam didn't answer, he just kept walking with his head down, trusting that Ed would get them there.

* * *

Sam felt himself being lowered to the ground and against a tree. "Have some more water, Sam." Ed put the canteen to his lips and Sam took a few sips before pulling away, but Ed wouldn't let him, "Sam, you've lost a lot of blood, you need to drink." Sam opened his weary eyes, he wanted to tell Ed that he couldn't take anymore but one look at the concern in his eyes, told him he needed to do what Ed asked. Sam opened his lips and took a couple more sips. "That's good, Sam. That's real good." Ed encourage even though he knew it wasn't enough.

"What's the plan?" Sam asked him.

"Well, it's almost dark." Ed started making a fire. "And even if I wasn't, there's no way you can make it back to the car anyway. I need to try and get up high and see if I can get a signal on my mobile, but that means leaving you alone."

Sam nodded, "I'll be fine."

"Well, I can't do that today anyway. It's gonna be dark in about half an hour and these woods aren't the safest to be wondering around in the dark." Ed got the fire going and then knelt down in front of Sam, sighing, "I need to check the wound again."

Sam looked at him and then shook his head in defeat, "Go ahead. I don't think the pain could get any worse." Ed winced sympathetically, he wished that was true. He was about to take off Sam's boot when a rustle sounded from behind him. They both froze, looking at each other. Sam moved his head to the side to see if he could see what it was. Ed looked to his left, eyeing the rifle and thinking if he could get their in time before whatever it was made its move. He looked at Sam and saw him stiffen in anger. It wasn't long before he worked out why when he felt the barrel of a gun against his back. Ed raised his arm in the air slowly. Ed looked at Sam, wondering if it was possible to take this person down without him getting off a shot. He's done it before, he was after all an SRU officer.

Sam could tell what he was thinking but he knew it wasn't possible because he could see what Ed couldn't. There was more than one of them. Sam shook his head to tell Ed not to try anything. "You should listen to your buddy." The man said, "My brothers won't be very happy if you make a move on me, would you boys?" He called out to two other people. Ed heard the click of two shot guns being cocked.

Ed sighed and closed his eyes, "You guys can take whatever you want. We don't want any trouble."

The men laughed at that. "Oh, but troubles' the part we love the most." Ed didn't like the sound of that. The man with the rifle moved to the side so that Ed could see him. He was in his forties, with a beard and bushy eyebrows. He looked and smelled like he had been showering for years, but that wasn't what Ed was worried about, he was worried about the crazy look in the man's eyes. If this was an SRU case, he was pretty sure that talking the subject down wouldn't even be an option, but seeing as Ed didn't have anyone on sierra 1, he couldn't call Scorpio.

"What do you want?" Ed asked, calmly.

"Oh, you'll find that out in the mornin'. You see, me and my brothers here we catch bears and sell their parts for a living, but it's been hard these past few years cause the damn animal lovers have been putting pressure on the rangers to crack down on us, so we thought…fine…we'll live off the land like humans use to do. Ain't that right, boys?"

"Yeah!" came the reply. They were a trio of uncivilised scum, Ed could hear it in their voices.

"Now, we've gotten a little bored of huntin' stupid animals, so…" The man looked at Ed with pure insanity and evil. "Well, like I said, you'll see in the mornin'. Tie'em both up, boys!"

Sam watched as Ed was pulled to his feet. "Ed." Sam watched helplessly from his place on the ground. The man that was talking to Ed pulled Sam's hands behind a tree and secured them there, he winced as the man tightened the rope. Ed was pushed down to the ground against a tree next to Sam and restrained in the same way.

Ed looked over at Sam. "Don't worry. We'll get out of this somehow." Sam nodded, he had no doubt that if Ed was determined to get them out of this situation, and he would. He just wished he could be of more help. "Rest, Sam. Get some sleep. I have a feeling we'll need it in the morning." Sam nodded again. Ed wished he got to check Sam's leg before these guys got them. He knew what the man meant. They were bored of hunting animals so now they're moving on to humans. He wondered how many other hunters may have fallen victim to these three maniacs.

The man who spoke to Ed, was clearly the boss, stretched and walked up to Ed's tent. "It's so nice of you to be so hospitable." He gestured to the camp site, "You won't mind if we make ourselves at home." Ed just glared at him, which just made the man laugh, "Joe, you keep watch. Johnny, little brother, you take the other tent." Johnny, who was obviously the youngest, grinned at his brother and jumped into Sam's tent. "And make sure you keep that fire going, Joe."

"Don't I always!" Joe sat down near the fire in frustration. Ed watched as the oldest brother came out of the tent with a deadly look on his face.

"What did you say?" he hissed, in Joe's ear.

Joe froze in fear, "I…I said, yes, Jack, I'll t…take care of the fire and k…keep watch."

"That's what I thought." Jack returned to the tent and Joe let out an audible sigh of relief. Ed looked over at Sam. Sam nodded, understanding that if they wanted to survive this, Joe could be a likely place to start. Ed closed his eyes. He would wait a few hours to make sure Jack and Johnny were asleep, before talking to Joe.

"How are you feeling?" Ed asked Sam.

Sam nodded, "Okay. I think a little rest will help. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." In fact, Sam was feeling better. Even though the situation was stressful, the fact that he is able to finally rest has already help Sam to recover his energy. "I'm guessing this wasn't a part of the plan either?"

Ed looked at him in mock disbelief, "I'm starting to think you think I'm sadistic."

"You two out there, shut up!" Jack growled from his tent. Ed and Sam looked at each other, both knowing how bad this situation really is.

Ed leaned back, "Rest." He whispered. Sam closed his eyes and leaned back against the tree. It wasn't going to be a restful night, but he was going to have to make the most of it. It felt a little like Afghanistan again; sleeping with one eye open, waiting for an enemy attack.

Ed remained awake, thinking about what needs to be done in the morning. He knew they needed to reach higher ground, but not until they head back over to where Sam was injured. Ed realised it was a blessing in disguise. They would have all their weapons taken by these guys if Sam hadn't stepped in the trap. Once they get their weapons, they would head up. Ed knew these woods like the back of his hand. He may not have been here for a couple of years, but it hadn't changed much. These men didn't know who they were dealing with. Ed is an SRU officer, a hunter and he had a friend to protect, nothing could stop Ed when he had a mission. He looked over at Joe. He wasn't the same as his brothers, he was obviously the odd one out. Ed could hear the snoring from the other two and felt it might be safe to approach him.

"You don't like your brothers very much." Ed started, loud enough for Joe to hear, but subtle enough to not disturb the other two.

Joe looked up at him, "We're brothers, we fight, but that doesn't mean I hate them."

"You always do what Jack tells you?"

"No!" Joe said a little too defensively, then looked over at the tents, fearing he may have woken them. "No, I don't. Now you shut the hell up before you get us all in trouble." Ed looked at the man, wondering if he could push his luck, but stopped when Joe lifted his rifle and pointed it at Sam. "One more word and he gets a bullet between the eyes." Ed looked over at Sam who was sleeping, exhaustion had obviously taken over. Ed glared at Joe, frustrated that he couldn't get through to him, but that just meant Ed had one more person to deal with. He threatened Sam, and right now, that meant Ed treated him the same way he would the other two.

* * *

Sam woke up in the middle of the night. The fire was still going. He looked over Ed, who was starting to nod off a little. He was hoping it would all turn out to be a bad dream, but the throbbing in his leg proved that it really was happening. He turned to Joe who was still wide awake. "Can I get some water?" Sam asked through his parched lips. He regretted not taking any more water from Ed when he offered it.

Joe didn't even glance at him, "This ain't a hotel."

"Give him some water or I might just talk a little too loudly and wake up your brothers." Sam turned to Ed, he should've known Ed would be only half asleep. Joe glared at Ed before grabbing a canteen and walked over to Sam. Sam bit back a cry when Joe deliberated bumped his injured leg, then roughly grabbed Sam's jaw and poured the water down his mouth. Sam struggled but he was too weak to do anything.

"Son of a bitch!" Ed cursed as Sam coughed up the water that had gone down the wrong way. Finally, Joe let him go and smirked at Ed. Ed wanted to say something but he didn't want Sam getting the brunt of this guy's anger again.

"That enough water for you?" Joe spat before returning to his spot near the fire.

"You okay, Sam?"

Sam nodded even though he was still coughing. Ed sighed as he watched Sam trying to catch his breath between coughs. So turning Joe was out of the picture for sure now, which meant it was up to him and Sam. There was no doubt that Ed and Sam could take these guys on a good day, but this was far from a good day, especially for Sam. Ed needed to get them out of this and get Sam the help he needed. Ed may not be a doctor, but he knew that in these conditions and the rust on the trap, Sam's leg could get infected, which means, he needed to get help and fast.

The sun was coming up and Ed was dreading what the day would bring. He didn't sleep. He couldn't, not with Sam in the condition he was in. Ed looked over at the rookie of the team. Sam was waking up slowly. Ed watched as he got his bearings. He frowned and pulled at his arms and then sighed, looking over at Ed, "Good morning." Ed smirked, at least he still had a sense of humour. His smile faded when Jack and Johnny emerged from their tent. "So looks like you boys are ready for today's events." Ed hated how this man spoke like he was well mannered when it was obvious he was anything but. He laughed at Ed's expression, "Well, I was going to wait until we all had breakfast but seeing as you look so eager I just may start right away." He looked at his brother, Johnny, who just looked like a younger version of himself. "What do you think, Johnny?" Johnny nodded like a mad dog. Joe just stood there with his shotgun in hand and cocked it to add effect. Jack grinned at Sam and Ed, "Looks like my brothers agree. Joe, untie them." Jack raised his rifle. "Don't you make a move now." Joe cut Sam's bonds first, before moving to Ed. The pain in his arms when they were finally allowed to move was actually more painful than Ed had expected but he didn't let that show and obviously Sam refused to too. They weren't going to give these men any kind of satisfaction. Ed stood up and stretched his arms, rubbing his shoulders and wrists to return the circulation, before moving over to help Sam up, all the while with three guns pointed at them. Ed didn't care at the moment, because he knew what these guys wanted.

Sam grimaced as Ed pulled him to his feet. He took a moment to recover from the quick change in position and the pain in his ankle. "How's the leg?" Ed asked him softly. Sam just nodded that he was okay.

Jack threw a bottle of water at their feet. "That should get you through the day," then he turned to his brothers, "If you last that long." The three of them cackled like the hyenas in The Lion King. "We'll give you 10 minutes head start before we come after you!" Again the cackling.

Ed snorted at that. "Guess you guys aren't as good as you think if you can only to give a man with a useless leg, ten minutes."

Sam smirked and joined in, knowing what Ed was trying to do, "its okay, Ed. These guys don't look too smart, I can handle 10 minutes."

"We can give you boys a whole hour and we'll still find you in less than 20 minutes." Johnny boasted, getting a jab in the rib from his older brother.

"We'll give you 20 minutes! Now, get moving before I change my mind." Jack growled.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Hope you all like this story. Again, parts are kind of far fetched. This story would probably take place in season one, some time after episode three. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Flashpoint characters.**

**Warnings: Un-betaed.**

These guys aren't very smart if they were so easily goaded which told Ed that this might be their first time hunting humans. It was good, for one, it meant there were probably no other victims and two, they would make plenty of mistakes, mistakes Ed could exploit. Ed picked up the bottle and pulled Sam's arm over his shoulder. He gave the three scums of the earth one last glare, a promise that he will make sure they will pay for this, before leaving with Sam. Once they were out of hearing range, Ed told Sam his plan. "I left our bow and arrows back near that trap. Once we get them, we'll head up and see if we can't find an area with reception."

Sam nodded, "You know I'm just going to slow you down."

"Don't even think about telling me to leaving you." Sam knew Ed wouldn't leave him, even though he knew for a fact that he stood a better chance of surviving this if he left Sam, but that would never be an option.

Sam grimace with each step they took. He was trying his hardest to walk at a fast pace and taking most of his weight, but he knew he couldn't keep it up for long. He needed to make the most of the 20 minutes head start. Sam concentrated on his breathing. If he wanted to get through this, then he needed to keep calm and his breathing is a big part of that.

Ed tried not to look at Sam because he had a job to focus on and looking at Sam would just distract him from it. He had about half an hour at the most to get to their bow and arrows otherwise they will be at a serious disadvantage. "So how good are you with your bow?" Sam asked Ed, hoping to get his mind off the pain in his leg.

Ed laughed, "As good as I am with a rifle."

"Ha!" Sam snickered, "Yeah, right. You think you're Legolas?"

"Hey, I'm good, okay? That's all you need to know."

"Yeah, I'm good too, doesn't mean we have a chance against three rifles." Sam knew the situation was bad and he knew he would only be burden for Ed. "You know I'm right about leaving me."

"Sam, shut up and save your strength." Ed would not even contemplate leaving Sam behind.

Sam sighed and did what he was told. He may not have joined the team that long ago, but that didn't mean he didn't know this man was the most stubborn and protective when it came to his family and team. They walked in silence until they heard a gun shot.

Ed stopped for a second, and looked around, then started walking again at double the pace. He knew how much pain it was causing Sam, but he was running out of time. "That's twenty minutes." Sam puffed.

"Yeah, so we don't have much time. You need to hang it there, Sam. We're almost there." Ed encouraged.

"Yes, Sir." Sam answered weakly.

Finally, after another 10 minutes, they reached their pit stop. Ed looked around to make sure the area was clear before leaning Sam against a tree and jumping behind the bush where the equipment was. It was a relief when he found the weapons. "Now we're getting somewhere." Ed swung a quiver of arrows over his shoulder and grabbed the other one and the two bows and headed back to Sam. He handed a bow and quiver to Sam. "Can you use it?" Sam took out an arrow and notched it, pulling it back to check it, then nodded. "Good. Let's see if we can find reception."

Sam nodded, sweat already running down his back. "Why do you think they didn't take our phones?"

"Because they're cocky bastards…or just plain stupid." Ed answered, more proof that these men weren't serial killers…yet.

"Or both."

Ed nodded, "Most probably both. How much longer do you think you can hold out?"

Sam shook his head, "Don't worry about me, just concentrate on getting us out of here."

They tracked for another 20 minutes before a shot rang out and the bullet hit a tree just near Ed's head, sending bark fly. Ed immediately ducked behind a tree and dragged Sam with him, keeping himself low. "Well, they took longer to find us than I thought."

"And they're not very good shots." Sam added, out of breath.

"But they have us pinned down now." Ed looked around. He couldn't get up without exposing himself. "Stay here." He ordered Sam, "I'm going to see if I can move around behind them." Judging from where the shots came from Ed could only guess where one of them was. "Stay low, Sam."

Sam nodded. "Be careful."

Ed kept low and moved to the left. Working his way around and back to where they came. When he thought he was far enough from Sam, he got behind a tree and looked around it to see if he could spot them. His eyes widened in panic when the first guy he saw was Johnny and he was closing in on Sam. He looked to his right and saw Jack, standing out in the open, grinning. He thought that they got them and hence was cocky, allowing his brother to make the kill. Ed looked further to the right and saw Joe standing there with no expression, again out in the open. He wished he could take out Jack first, but Sam was in danger and he needed to take out the immediate threat. Ed notched his arrow and aimed. It was a clear shot and if he wanted to make sure Sam was out of danger, it had to be a fatal shot. Ed aimed for the jugular, took the wind into consideration and let the arrow fly. Ed didn't need to wait to know the shot was good. Ed got back down immediately. "Johnny!" He heard Jack scream out. Yep, his shot was good. "Jack! You have to take cover! They have weapons!" Ed started making his way back to where Sam was, knowing they were safe for now.

Sam heard the thud of an arrow hitting its mark. It was close, Sam could tell. "Johnny!" He heard and knew that Ed had taken out the youngest. _Hmmm…maybe he is Legolas, _Sam thought. He didn't risk poking his head out to see what was happening because the brothers were too close to his position, but he could hear them retreating when Joe called out for his brother to take cover. Ed's managed to buy them a little time. Sam heard the rustle and knew Ed was returning, but he notched an arrow on the off chance that he was wrong.

"Woah." Ed whispered when he came out of a bush and found an arrow in his face. Sam relaxed with relief and loosened the string.

"Good shot." Sam approved.

Ed nodded, "You saw?"

"No. I heard." Ed knelt behind the tree and peeked out. Jack was dragging away his brother's body. He wasn't very smart.

"Come on, let's go, before he comes to his senses and starts shooting again." Ed said, "This way." He gestured to the left and pushed Sam in front of him. He knew how hard it was for Sam to walk and stay low, but there wasn't much Ed could do in way of assistance except to stay close behind him and help him up if he fell.

Sam could feel that the pain in his leg was sapping his energy. His ankle was burning and he could tell that the wound had started bleeding again. He didn't say anything to Ed, there was no point. They couldn't slow down. Sam stumbled a few times but managed to catch himself. He kept moving up through the trees, concentrating on his breathing and trying to ignore the pain. He's been through two tours in Afghanistan and came back unscathed, so surely he could get out of a hunting trip without anymore injuries.

Ed had a new found respect for Sam. He knew how much pain he must be in but he continued walking at a solid pace. Ed looked behind him and saw that they were clear of the brothers again. Ed walked up beside Sam and pulled his arm over his shoulder, pulling him to his feet, so that he no longer had to walk and keep low at the same time. One look at Sam told him how much effort it had taken him to maintain that pace and level.

Sam sighed in relief when Ed took some of his weight and he felt the pressure on his right ankle subside significantly. "Thanks." Sam grunted.

"No problem. We've lost them for now." They kept going with Ed checking his phone every once in while to see if that precious bar had come up.

* * *

Half an hour later, Ed stopped and looked around. The brothers still hadn't found them. Ed was worried. They would find them soon and they could come from any direction. They were in the shadows while Sam and Ed were in the light, a big disadvantage. Ed was going to need to find a way to turn the tables. He led Sam over to a thick tree and sat him down, leaning his back against the tree, hoping it provided them enough cover until they start moving again.

"Shouldn't stop." Sam gasped out. His voice was weak and his shirt was soaked in sweat. Ed was as well, but he had a feeling that Sam's was due to something else. Ed put a hand to Sam's head and confirmed what he thought. Sam was developing a fever. Ed pulled out the drink bottle and encouraged Sam to drink. The water was cool and soothing. Sam smiled at Ed in relief. "You should drink some too." Ed nodded and took sip. "More." Ed glared at him and took a mouthful. Sam grinned feebly, "Good." Ed shook his head, the guy's only at half-mast and he's looking out for him. He looked down at Sam's right leg and saw the blood on Sam's trousers.

"Damn it, Sam, why didn't you say anything!" Ed was about to take a look when Sam stopped him.

"There's nothing you can do."

Ed glared at Sam and then quickly took off his gear, light jacket and then shirt. Ed put his jacket back on and re-equipped himself before tearing up his shirt. "You owe me a shirt." He quipped as he tied the strips around Sam's ankle, putting on the much needed pressure to stem the bleeding and to provide more support.

Sam chuckled, "It was ugly anyway."

Ed shook his head, "It's a plain black shirt, how ugly can it be?"

"Oh," Sam had a cheeky expression, "Must've confused it with the person wearing it."

Ed narrowed his eyes at him and pulled the strips to tighten them, causing Sam to gasp at the pain. "Oh, did that hurt? I'm sorry." Sam glared at him because it was obvious Ed wasn't sorry. He took out his phone to check the reception again and froze, not believing what he was seeing.

Sam frowned at him, "What's wrong? Out of batteries?" That seems to be their luck these days.

Ed shook his head. He immediately dialled Greg's number, knowing he would pick up. The phone rang.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Hope you all like this story. Again, parts are kind of far fetched. This story would probably take place in season one, some time after episode three. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Flashpoint characters.**

**Warnings: Un-betaed.**

Greg was at the office catching up on paperwork. It wasn't the best way to be spending the long weekend, but it had to be done and this was the only time where he had the office to himself and no one to disturb him. Or so he thought. He frowned at his phone when it rang, looking at the ID made his frown deepen. He answered it, "You accidently shoot, Sam?" He joked.

"No." Greg's smile faded at the sound of Ed's voice in that one word, "We're being hunted by two mad men. Sam's hurt, you need to send a chopper. We're about 15 clicks north of the camp site. Do you remember?"

"Yeah, I do." Greg answered as he walked over to Winnie's desk and pressed a few buttons on the phone.

"I'm keeping my phone on but I don't know how long I'll have reception. Get here quick. Sam's in bad shape."

"We'll be there. Stay down and stay alive!" Greg hung up and picked up Winnie's phone. "This is Sergeant Greg Parker of SRU. I need a helicopter with two paramedics to meet me at the top of the SRU building." He hung up and then sent out a priority page to his team to meet at the office. Greg headed to the weapons cage to gear up.

* * *

"They coming?" Sam asked, he was exhausted and he didn't think he could move any more, hence why he was praying that his team would get here soon.

"Yeah, they're coming, but even by helicopter, it'll still take them an hour to get geared up and get here." Ed looked at Sam, trying to determine if Sam could go on. "We have to hold out until then."

"We need to keep moving." Sam knew he didn't have a choice, despite the way he felt.

Ed nodded and looked at the bottle. There wasn't much left. "Drink the rest and then we'll go."

Sam looked at the bottle and nodded. He wanted Ed to have it considering he's the one who'll be keeping them alive, but it would be wasting time to argue and Ed would probably just shove it down his throat. He drank the little bit of water left and Ed chucked the water bottle away.

"Let's go." Ed pulled Sam up to his feet. Ed could tell that he was taking more of Sam's weight now. It wouldn't be long before Sam's strength runs out. "You good?"

"Just go." It was barely a whisper.

* * *

Twenty minutes later. Jack finally found them. These men were good but they couldn't hide forever. "Joe, go around and block them off." Joe nodded, he didn't like Jack or Johnny, but they were his brothers and nobody gets away with killing one of his own. "I've got you." He had Sam and Ed in his sights now, but he didn't care about the Blondie, he wanted the bald one. Jack slowly moved forward while keeping an eye on Joe, to make sure he was in place. He aimed and fired.

* * *

Sam didn't know how, but he had managed to walk for another twenty minutes before his legs gave out. Ed wasn't prepared for the sudden dead weight of Sam and was pulled down when Sam couldn't hold himself up any longer. A split second later a shot was fired and the bullet hit a tree at where Ed's head was. Again, Ed was forced to take cover and pushed Sam down behind a bush. Keeping as low as he could, he dragged Sam over to a tree that provided better coverage.

"Sam, help's on the way, but I need to lead those guys away from you, you understand?" A shot rang out over his head.

"You may as well give up! We've got you surrounded!" Ed shook his head at the idiotic comment. _How do you surround someone with just two people?_

Sam shook his head, weakly, at Ed, who was above him, trying to protect him from any bullets flying their way. "They'll kill you."

Ed got up onto his knees but still keeping low behind the tree. He cupped Sam's face in his hand, "Come on, Sam. You need to have more faith in me."

Sam just kept shaking his head, "You can't go." He wanted Ed to leave him before, but now that Ed was planning to risk his life for Sam, he wasn't willing to let him go.

"Sam, they're closing in on us, if I don't lead them away, we're both dead. Greg and the others aren't going to get here in time. I have to lead them away from here." Ed tried to drill in the severity of the situation to him. "Stay here and stay quiet."

Sam looked at him with tears in his eyes, his lack of energy made it hard for him to hold back his emotion, "I won't let you get yourself killed for me."

"Who says anything about getting killed?" Ed gave him a cocky smile before moving to get up, but Sam had a firm grip on his jacket and refused to let go. Ed growled in frustration, "I'm sorry, Sam." Ed punched Sam across the face, knocking him unconscious. He put his mobile in Sam's pocket. Sam was going to be pissed off when he woke up, but at least he would be alive. Ed poked his head out and a shot rang out immediately. He knew where one was, but that was all he knew. Taking a deep breath, Ed shot up and bolted through the trees, using them as cover as shots rang out throughout the woods.

* * *

Spike looked up from his tablet in the helicopter. "We're still another ten minutes away, Boss." Greg was in the front seat.

"Just keep your eye on the signal." He turned to the pilot. "When we get there, we'll drop in. Once we're down, you find a place to land no more than 200 metres away, if you can't let us know. We have an injured office that'll need to be airlifted to the hospital. He turned to the paramedics. "Be prepared, I don't know the extent of his injuries and I don't know the condition of my other officer. It's possible there's two officers down." They nodded gravely, these calls were the worse. Not only are they here to rescue police officers but they were in a remote area that didn't allow for more conventional rescues.

Jules remained silent. She was thinking about Ed and Sam. She respected Ed as much as she respected Greg and, well, Sam was growing on her. She wouldn't admit that she was starting to have feelings for him. She will never allow herself to admit that.

Wordy was sitting opposite her, watching her blank expression but knowing what was actually going on inside her head. "We'll find them." He called over the wind. Jules looked at him and nodded absently. Lou, who was sitting next to her, nudged her. She turned her head.

"We'll find them!" He repeated what Wordy said. Jules looked at Spike who nodded and showed her the red dot on the tablet.

"That's them. We'll find them!" Spike drilled it home.

Jules nodded, "We'll find them!"

* * *

Ed took cover behind a rock. These two had him pinned. He needed to keep low and take one of them out. He knew where Joe was, but if he broke cover to take a shot, Jack would take him out. Ed notched his arrow. It was a long shot and taking a shot with a bow and arrow while running was almost impossible, but he didn't have much of a choice. Taking a deep breath, Ed shot up and ran, he spotted Joe and shots started ringing out again. Ed was counting on these guys to be bad marksmen. Ed aimed his arrow, his mind calculating his speed, the wind and the distance, then the arrow left the bow. Ed dived behind another rock and stayed there, catching his breath and praying that the arrow hit his target.

Joe stared down at the arrow sticking out of the left of his chest in disbelief. How is it possible that someone could make that kind of a shot. He had a feeling that he and his brothers made the wrong decision when they chose these two men for their hunting game. It sounded like fun, to hunt humans instead of animals, but obviously these two were the wrong one's to choose for their first human hunting game. Joe knew he was dying, the blood kept coming out and he could taste blood in his mouth. "Joe!" His brother called out, "Joe! Answer me you little runt!" Joe smiled, well at least the last thing he'll do is defy is brother, even if not answering him is such a small defiance. If anyone was there to see it, they would see the life leave his eyes.

Ed waited for Joe to answer. It could be a trick. Joe may not be answering to make Ed drop his guard for a moment, but there was still one threat out there and he wasn't letting his guard down no matter what. Sam's life depended on him keeping these guys busy or taking them out.

* * *

Team One arrived and repelled down from the helicopter. Spike and Lou first, then Wordy and Greg and then Jules. Spike unlatched himself and pulled out the tablet. "The signals coming from here. We should be right on top of them." Jules searched around frantically as soon as her feet hit the ground.

"Sam! Ed!" She called out. A shot rang out in the distance and then more. She turned at looked at Greg, her eyes wide, waiting impatiently for an order.

"Spike, Lou, Jules, go!" The three ran towards the shots. They didn't need to be told twice.

"Wordy, let's keep looking. Spike said we were right on top of them."

Wordy nodded, remaining calm, even though he was panicking inside. Wordy kept looking around the same area. Spike was never wrong when it came to his gadgets, so it was either Ed or Sam had dropped the phone or they were here, but they weren't answering so Wordy was expecting the worse when noticed a tree riddled with bullets. "Boss!" Wordy pointed to the tree. Greg nodded and gesture for Wordy to head over. Greg followed, they both had their side arms ready. Wordy got to the tree and slowly made his way around it. "It's Sam!" Wordy put his gun away and knelt down next to Sam who was lying supine on the ground. He looked so pale. Without waiting any longer, Wordy reached out and checked for a pulse, giving a silent prayer as he did.

Greg still had his side arm at the ready. They knew Sam and Ed were under attack and he couldn't take the risk of someone taking them by surprise. Wordy looked up at him and nodded, "He's alive." The pulse was faint but it was there.

Greg spoke into his mike, "We have Sam, but Ed's still missing. We need immediate medical attention."

Wordy lifted Sam up to a sitting position, leaning him against his chest and tapping him face. "Sam! Sam, wake up." He took out his water bottle tipped it, until the water touched Sam's lips. It had the desired effects, the temptation of the much needed water drew Sam to consciousness. He opened his lips for more, but he was only given a couple of sips before it was taken away. "You can't have too much, Sam." Wordy told him, relieved that he had woken up. Greg smiled as he watched Sam open his eyes.

"Boss?" He was confused at first, why Greg was here when remembered. Sam's eyes widened and struggled to get up, but it didn't take much to subdue him.

"Sam, take it easy."

"No, no…Ed…he's still out there. They're going to kill him." Sam kept struggling to get up, but Wordy easily held him down.

"It's okay, Sam." Wordy soothed, "Jules, Spike and Lou have his back. It's okay." Sam's struggles died down as his strength ebbed.

* * *

Jules, Spike and Lou slowed down when they neared the area where shots were fired. Jules moved behind a tree and gestured for Lou and Spike to do the same. "This is the police! Put you guns down and put your hands up where we can see them."

Ed sighed in relief from where he was behind a rock when he heard Jules voice. The cavalry's here. "Jack!" Ed called out, but still keeping cover. "You may as well give up. These aren't your typical police. They're SRU. You can't take them on, they have authority to take you down where you stand if you pose a threat and currently, you do!"

Spike, Lou and Jules smiled in relief at hearing Ed's voice. It was strong which told them he wasn't hurt. "Ed's right, Sir. We will take lethal action if you don't put down your gun."

"He killed my brothers, you should be telling him that!" Jack called out.

"You and your brothers were hunting me and my friend for the fun of it! You didn't give us any choice!" Ed yelled out. They could all hear the anger behind the calm voice. "Now you come out with your hands up!"

"Who the hell are you to tell me to put my hands up? You ain't the police."

Ed shook his head, but it was Jules who answered, "That's where you're wrong, Sir. Ed Lane and Sam Braddock are the names of the two men you've been hunting and they are a part of our unit! They are SRU officers!"

Everything went silent. Ed smirked, knowing this man realised he had got in way above his head. "What's it gonna be, Jack? You going to give up or is my team going to drag you out of here in a body bag?"

"Okay, okay! I give up!" Jack put a hand up, revealing his location.

"I want to see both your hands, Sir." Jules called out, gesturing for Spike and Lou to move in.

Ed slowly got up from where he was. He could see Jack now with one arm in the air. "Put your other hand in the air, Jack." Ed could see that Spike, Lou and Jules had Jack covered.

Jack looked down at his rifle. His brothers were dead and this man killed them. He wasn't going to jail and this man had to pay.

* * *

Greg could see the paramedics running up to them. He waved them over. It seemed the helicopter was able to find a clearing to land. "Let's go!"

Wordy had sat Sam up and leaned him against the tree that was protecting him from bullets earlier. Wordy found Sam's injury. It wasn't hard with all the blood on his trousers. The paramedics looked over at where Sam was. "Sir, we need to get him over here, there's not enough room for us to work up there." Greg looked down at the small area where Sam had hidden and nodded. He knew by what he heard over the comm. that there was no threat here. Greg holstered his side arm and knelt down next to Sam.

"Sam, we're going to move you to a clearer area so you can get the help you need, okay?"

Sam turned to him but he didn't focus. He didn't know what was going on, he just knew that Ed was in danger. "Where's Ed?"

"Ed's fine." Greg answered him, "He's with Jules and Spike." Greg nodded to Wordy to take the other side and together the cradled Sam in their arms and slowly made their way down the where the paramedics were. Gently, they lowered him to the ground and again, leaned him against a tree.

"His right leg." Wordy told them before moving away for them to do their job.

As carefully as they could, they removed the bloody rags tied around the boot and ankle the cut the laces on the shoe. The blood caked there made it hard to untie. Sam groaned as the boot slid off his foot revealing a bloody mess. They washed away the blood and sighed at what they found. "This is infected. We need to get him to a hospital and start him on the necessary meds before it's too late."

Greg nodded, "Do it. If Ed gets back in time we can send him with you, otherwise he can travel with the others on the next chopper." The paramedics wrapped Sam's leg with a fresh bandage and then went to bring the stretcher over.

Sam watched them carry over the stretcher and then realising what they were doing he shook his head. "No…no…where's Ed?" Sam started panicking.

Wordy knelt down in front of him and took him by the shoulder. "Ed's fine. They've got the guy named Jack." Wordy pointed to his earpiece. "I can hear them right now, the guy is giving up." Suddenly a shot rang out making Greg and Wordy pull out their guns, covering Sam and the paramedics.

"Jules, report!"

"_Subject neutralised,"_ came the reply, _"No harm."_ She added.

Greg and Wordy reholstered their guns in relief. "Okay, head back here."

Sam didn't know what was going on. The pain did allow him to interpret Greg's voice or body language, he just knew that he heard gunfire and Ed was out there alone. The paramedics were readying the stretcher and Wordy and Greg were standing with their backs to him, waiting for the others to arrive. They didn't notice Sam pushing himself up with his good leg, using the tree as leverage.

Sam didn't know where the energy came from, he just focused on getting up to find Ed, because nobody else seemed to be trying to find him. He managed to get up to his feet, when Wordy turned around. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Wordy went to help him but Sam swung his arm to keep him away.

"I need to find, Ed." It was the strongest Sam's voice had been since they've found him. Sam limped forward, amazingly enough, he didn't fall. Wordy and Greg kept an arm out ready to catch him when he did fall.

"Sir, he can't be up."

Greg put a hand out, "We'll handle it. He's a soldier, you don't want to spook him." The paramedics nodded and stepped back. They've heard about the dangers of approaching a confused soldier. Greg spoke into the headset. "Jules, get Ed back here now!"

* * *

Jules frowned and looked at Ed, who was checking Jack for ID. There was nothing on the man. "Ed." Jules called to him. "We need to get back. The boss wants you back there now." Ed looked up at her, "I think it's Sam." She could hear Wordy telling Sam to sit down.

Ed's eyes turned to anger and then started in that direction with the others following. They could deal with the body later. "Damn it, Jules, I thought you said Sam was fine."

"I didn't say that." Jules countered, "I said Wordy found him and he's alive."

"Then what the hell is the problem?" Ed started running to where he left Sam. His jaw was clenched as Sam's face just before Ed left him came to mind. Sam was so scared for Ed's life, but Ed left him anyway. He knew it was the right choice, but it didn't make it any easier.

* * *

Sam looked around at the trees, trying to find his Team Leader. _Where are you, Ed?_ Sam stumbled forward, but still not falling. He couldn't fall until he found Ed.

Wordy's heart skipped a beat every time Sam stumbled, knowing how much damage he was doing to his leg. He couldn't hold back any more. Wordy stepped in front of Sam and gently took him by the shoulders. "Ed's on his way, Sam." Wordy couldn't stand the confused look on Sam face, the lost look. Wordy knew that every reasonable and logical thought didn't exist in Sam's mind at this moment. He was too exhausted to think beyond finding his team leader. Wordy couldn't begin to imagine what Sam was going through, but he couldn't let him wonder around aimlessly, doing more damage to his leg. "Jules, Spike, where the hell is Ed?!"

"Right here!" Ed was walking up to them with Spike, Lou and Jules at his back. Wordy turned around at the voice, allowing Sam full view of Ed walking towards them. He kept a hand on Sam's shoulder, trying to steady him.

Greg let out a breath in relief. "You sure took your sweet time."

Ed ignored him, his only focus was Sam, who was standing there, which was a miracle in itself. "What kind of trouble are you causing, Braddock?" Ed growled as he continued towards him.

Sam squinted at the blurry figure walking towards him. He knew the voice, but he couldn't get his vision to clear to confirm what he already knew. Finally, Ed was standing only a couple of feet from him. It was close enough for Sam. Without any warning Sam swung his fist at the figure.

Ed's reflexes and Sam's sluggish movement allowed Ed to avoid the swing, but it still stunned him that Sam tried to punch him. "Woah!" Ed caught Sam as the momentum of the swing made him lose his balance and footing.

Wordy watched in shock as Sam swung at his team leader. Whatever he was expecting when Sam finally saw Ed, it wasn't this? He watched as Ed caught Sam but Sam weight and Ed exhaustion pulled him down to his knees. Wordy recovered from his shock and knelt down to pull Sam off Ed. He was unconscious. Wordy supported Sam against his chest as Ed tapped his cheeks, worried. "Sam?" He tapped Sam again, this time harder but still no reply. "Sam!"

Greg gestured for the paramedics to move in. "Ed, get out of the way. We need to get Sam to the hospital, now!" Spike and Lou pulled Ed to his feet and out of the way. He watched as Wordy helped the paramedics move Sam onto the stretcher. They strapped him in and then lifted him and carried him to towards the helicopter. "Ed, go with them." Ed looked at Greg, he thought he should stay to clean up this mess, but Greg shook his head, "Go, we'll call in the rangers."

Ed nodded, "There are three bodies all together. One's near Jack, the other one is about 20 clicks south of here." He turned around and caught up with the paramedics, walking along side Sam. Ed squeezed Sam's hands, "You're going to be okay, Sam. Sorry, I had to deck you." The paramedics gave him a weird look because they knew it wasn't their place to ask. Ed could see the helicopter ahead, finally, they could leave this nightmare.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Hope you all like this story. Again, parts are kind of far fetched. This story would probably take place in season one, some time after episode three. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Flashpoint characters.**

**Warnings: Un-betaed.**

Ed sat in Sam's hospital room. His leg was bandaged and there was an IV in his left wrist and two electrodes monitoring brain activity. "He's in a coma." The doctor had told him. That was 48 hours ago. The team would come and go, taking turns to visit Sam, but Ed wasn't leaving Sam's side, so Greg had given him time off. "We've drained the leg wound. He's lucky your team found him in time. The bone in his ankle is fractures but we can't put a cast on it until we're sure infection is no longer a threat. For now, we'll just have to keep it still. The problem we're having is he hasn't woken up from the anaesthetics we've given him. We can't be a hundred percent sure why he won't wake up but our best guess is that his body has been pushed far beyond his limit. He has used up every ounce of energy he has and couple with the fever and blood loss, his body has just given up. I'm sorry, I can't tell you more. There isn't much research in this area and we can only hope that he'll wake up as his body recuperates." That was what the doctor had told Ed. Basically, he's fine but won't wake up. That sounded ridiculous to Ed and he was sure that Sam hadn't given up at all. He'll wake up. Ed leaned forward in his seat and picked up Sam's hand. "Tell me that you didn't survive all that just to sleep through the rest of your days." Ed watched the brain monitor for any sign of Sam waking up. Nothing. "You know, we got them all. Jack tried to take me out, but Lou took him out first. You should've seen my shot that nailed Joe. Wow! You'd be envious. There is no way you would be able to make that shot on your best day!" Ed tried to see if he could goad Sam into waking up. Still didn't work. Ed's tried everything in the past 48 hours. He's yelled at Sam, bribed Sam, threatened him, he's even tried promising to let him be team leader for a day. Ed rubbed his face, wiping away the tears that threatened to come. He was starting to lose hope as he ran out of ways to entice Sam to wake up.

Ed's mind wondered back to that moment when the team had finally arrived and Ed raced back to where Sam was. The relief he felt when he saw Sam standing there almost made him drop to his knees, then the shock when Sam used the energy he had left, to take a swing at him, but missed and then watching him fall unconscious. That was the moment that Sam's body gave out. He forced himself to stay standing so that he could deck Ed. Ed shook his head at Sam, and then he got up and leaned over Sam so that he could whisper in his ear. "You wake up and when you've recovered I'll stand in front of you and let you punch me. I won't dodge, I won't block, I'll just take it." Ed moved his head back a little and looked at the monitor. Ed smiled when the pattern on the monitor changed. He looked back at Sam and saw movement under his eyelids. Ed's smile was a full blown grin now. Ed got up and pressed the nurses' button. He didn't acknowledge her when she came in, he just ordered, "Get the doctor, he's waking up." Ed watched as Sam struggled to open his eyes. "Should've known that giving you the chance to deck me would wake you up." The doctor came in and asked Ed to leave, but Ed shook his head. "I'm not leaving. Do what you have to do, but if he's waking up, I'm gonna be right here." The doctor nodded, he knew Ed had never left Sam's side unless absolutely necessary. He opened Sam's eyelids and shone a light in his eye, then repeated it for the other side. Then, after studying the graph the machine had printed out he turned to Ed and smiled.

"You're right. He's waking up." Ed dropped into the seat in relief. "Though I'll warn you that it may be a few more days before he wakes up completely."

Ed shook his head, watching Sam's eyes still moving under his eyelids. "He'll wake up sooner than that. He really wants to take a swing at me." The doctor and the nurse exchanged confused looks, but decided that they wouldn't understand.

Ed was right, it was an hour later when Sam managed to open his eyes. Ed sat forward as soon as he saw Sam's eyes flutter open and waited patiently for Sam to acknowledge him. Finally, Sam turned his head and looked at Ed. He squinted at him, then let out a breath and closed his eyes. Ed sighed, thinking that was it; Sam was going back to sleep, so he was pleasantly surprised when Sam spoke,

"Water." Ed got up immediately and spooned some ice chips into Sam's mouth. "Thanks."

"It's about time you woke up."

Sam opened his eyes and looked at him, "You talk a lot to someone who can't talk back." Ed burst out laughing, making Sam smiled. "I'm going to hold you to your promises."

Ed looked at him suspiciously, "What did you hear?"

Sam thought about that one, "I get to be team leader for a day."

Ed chuckled, "I'll have to run it by Greg, but it's possible."

"You'll let me deck you. No dodging or blocking." Ed could tell Sam liked that one, so he nodded.

"You choose the time and place."

Sam grinned sleepily, "I'll let you know."

Ed shook his head, "You're an idiot, you know. You were in a coma, just because you wanted to punch me."

Sam looked at him, suddenly angry. Ed knew what was coming. "You risked your own life to save mine and I'm an idiot! You have no right to give your life just so I _might_ live!"

"Sam…"

"I thought you were dead. I thought the team was lying to me when they said you were coming. They were trying to take me away before I could confirm for myself that you're alive…" Sam closed his eyes, "Of course I was going to deck you." He finished softly, exhausted from his little tantrum.

"Was it worth it?" Ed asked.

Sam glared at him, "I'll tell you when I actually hit you."

Ed laughed, "You remember missing, huh?"

"I was half dead, of course I missed." Sam growled at him, "Yeah, I'm sure you're real proud of yourself, punching a man that's already down for the count." Sam shook his head, "I swear I'm never going hunting with you again." He mumbled, "Takes me to a place with crazy people and illegal bear traps…hey!" Sam shot up in his bed and pulled up his covers until his legs were revealed. He fell back in relief when he saw that his right leg was still intact. "Thank god!"

Ed covered Sam's leg back up. He knew how Sam felt. He was just as relieved when the doctor said he wouldn't need to amputate. "They've cleaned the infection and in a couple of days they'll put a cast on. You'll be out of commission for about a month of so, but you'll be back to being Samtastic in no time."

Sam nodded, "Thanks." Ed yawned making Sam frown at him. "You haven't been home yet, have you?" Ed shook his head, "Go home. I'm sure Sophie and Clark misses you and are worried about you. I'm fine."

"I will soon. Wordy's on his way over here. I'll wait until he gets here and then I'll leave."

Sam nodded and closed his eyes, feeling the draw of sleep, "Thanks, Ed, for saving my life." And then he was gone.

Ed smiled, "You're welcome, Sam."

* * *

**Two weeks later…**

Sam made his way past Kira's desk on his crutches. She got up, smiling, about to greet him when Sam put a finger to his lips. "You should follow me." Kira smiled curiously at him and then got out from behind the desk and followed the man. He made his way to the conference room where he knew the team would be at this time. It was the end of the day and they would most probably be debriefing or doing paperwork. Sam smiled when he saw that Ed's had his back to the door. He hopped his way into the conference room where they finally noticed him. Spike was the first to notice. "Sam, what are you doing here?" Sam passed Kira his crutches at the same time Ed got up to greet him.

"Sam, you're not due back for another…" Sam swung his left fist and caught Ed straight in the right cheek. Wordy got up and out of the way when Ed caught himself with the table, then turned back around, ready to lay into Sam when he saw that Sam was grinning. The rest of the team was standing now, shocked at what they were just witnessed to. Kira stood, there wondering if she should leave or not.

"Sam, what the heck was that?" Jules exclaimed.

Greg shook his head, as the head of team one, he was obligated to report this, "Sam, you know…"

"It's okay, Boss." Ed wiped at his lips to see if there was any blood, "I kinda promised him he could do that." Sam smiled at Greg with a smug look on his face, "I thought you would tell me the time and place."

Sam shrugged, "And let you prepare? No way. You didn't warn me when you knocked me out."

Ed folded his arms and shook his head at his team mate, "Are you ever going to let that go?"

Sam turned to Kira, and took back his crutches, "Thanks, Kira." Kira turned around, very confused and went back to her desk.

"Can someone fill us in?" Jules asked.

It was Wordy who guessed it, "This has something to do with you taking a swing at Ed after we found you, isn't it?"

"Yep." Sam said, so pleased with himself.

"And you promised him he can punch you, why?" Jules asked

Ed rolled his eyes, and turned a little to answer Jules but still keeping an eye on Sam. "He wouldn't wake up so I made a couple promises. This was one of them." Ed rubbed his cheek, obviously half regretting he made that deal.

"That's right!" Sam was way too chippy for Ed's liking.

Greg put his hand up, he knew he was going to regret it but he had to ask, "Uh…What was the other promise?"

Sam grinned while Ed rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I told him he could be Team leader for a day."

"You're kidding me?"

"Oh...crap…"

"Boss, surely you can't agree!"

Greg put his hand out to silence everyone, "Ed, you should've ran that by me first."

Ed gestured to Sam, "He was in a coma, how was I suppose to know he would actually remember it?"

"Okay, fine," Greg sighed, shaking his head, "Sam, you can be team leader…"

"Yes!" Sam pumped his fist.

"ON a training day." Greg finished, "and if we get a hot call, Ed's back on lead."

Sam shrugged, he'll take what he can get, "Deal!" The rest of the team groaned, but it was only half-heartedly. They were sure Sam could come up with some pretty interesting training scenarios for them. It might be fun.

Greg looked at his watch. "Alright guys, let's call it a day."

Ed closed the file he had opened on the table and turned to Sam. "How'd you get here?"

"Taxi."

"Come on, you can come home with me for dinner, then I'll drive you home. Sophie's been asking about you."

"Sounds good, thanks!" Sam turned around and started heading out.

Spike walked up to them and Lou came up the other side. "You know, I'm starting to think there's some favouritism going on here." Spike looked over at Lou.

Lou nodded in agreement, "Spike's got a point, I mean, where's our invitation?"

"Did it get lost with the invitation to the hunting trip?" Spike sulked.

Sam stopped and lifted his crutches for Spike and Lou to see. "You really want to be invited on a hunting trip with Ed."

Spike and Lou looked at each other, "He's got a point," Spike conceded.

Lou nodded in agreement, "We'll see you guys tomorrow." Lou and Spike walked on ahead.

Ed glared at Sam "Just to make it clear," He gestured to Sam's leg, "That had nothing to do with me. It's your bad luck! I've been hunting in that area for years and nothing! I take you, and this happens. I mean, seriously, who in the world steps in a bear trap _and _run into three psycho brothers in one day."

Sam continued to Ed's truck, "The guy who goes hunting with you!"

Greg, who was listening to their banter, just shook his head, smiling. The hunting trip may have been a disaster, but it did strengthen the friendship between his team leader and sniper.

**The END**


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